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REVIEW article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1504395
This article is part of the Research Topic Regulatory RNAs: Key Modulators in Host-Microbiome Interactions and Disease Pathogenesis View all articles

The Synergistic Role of Gut Microbiota and RNA in Metabolic Diseases: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Insights

Provisionally accepted
卓 黄 卓 黄 1Qinyan Yao Qinyan Yao 1Shuang Ma Shuang Ma 1Jinjie Zhou Jinjie Zhou 1Xiaoxuan Wang Xiaoxuan Wang 1Qingguo Meng Qingguo Meng 1Yaxin Liu Yaxin Liu 1Zihan Yu Zihan Yu 2*Xin Chen Xin Chen 1*
  • 1 Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
  • 2 Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in human metabolic health by influencing immune responses, digestion, and metabolic homeostasis. Recent research highlights the intricate interactions between gut microbiota and RNA, especially non-coding RNAs, in regulating metabolic processes. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota has been linked to metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and metabolic heart disease. Microbial metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), modulate RNA expression, influencing lipid metabolism, glucose regulation, and inflammatory responses. Additionally, microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serve as critical regulators in these processes, with emerging evidence showing that gut-derived metabolites affect post-transcriptional gene regulation. This review synthesizes the current understanding of the gut microbiota-RNA axis and its role in metabolic diseases.By exploring the molecular mechanisms, particularly how gut microbiota-derived signals modulate RNA pathways, the review underscores the potential of targeting this axis for therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, it examines how dysbiosis leads to epigenetic changes such as m6A RNA methylation, contributing to disease pathogenesis. These insights offer a new perspective on the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases, with potential applications in personalized medicine.

    Keywords: RNA, Metabolic Diseases, Gut Microbiota, Metabolism, Microbial Metabolites

    Received: 30 Sep 2024; Accepted: 09 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 黄, Yao, Ma, Zhou, Wang, Meng, Liu, Yu and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zihan Yu, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China
    Xin Chen, Department of Gastroenterology, General Hospital, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.